Galway has been named as one of the most sleepless cities with residents turning to sound-based sleep aids to help them fall asleep.
A new sleep trend analysis, conducted by hearing care specialists Audika, analysed Google search data across international cities to understand where people are relying most on sounds like white noise, rain sounds, and meditation music to fall asleep.
By standardising the data per 100,000 people in each city, the analysis study reveals which areas are struggling most to switch off at night. According to the data, 140 searches are made in Galway each month for audio-based sleep aids, placing it 20th in the global rankings.
When adjusted for population, this equates to 169 searches per 100,000 people. Kilkenny, Dundalk and Drogheda and Derry all feature in the top 10 global rankings as Ireland's most sleep-deprived towns and cities.
Cities searching most for sleep sounds
The top cities in Ireland with the highest number of sleep-sound-related searches per 100,000 people are:
Kilkenny – 368
Dundalk – 325
Drogheda – 249
Derry – 212
Dublin – 201
Waterford - 183
Galway - 169
Kilkenny tops the national list, showing that sleep difficulties aren’t limited to major cities like Dublin, and that smaller cities may be turning to digital support more frequently. Oliver Applebaum at Audika, commented on the results: “Using sound to aid sleep has become increasingly popular, but it’s not always straightforward.
“For people experiencing hearing issues, certain frequencies may be harder to perceive or may cause irritation. This can affect how effective sound is in promoting sleep. “If you find yourself relying on sleep sounds but still struggling to fall asleep, or needing to turn the volume up, your hearing could be part of the problem.”
To view the analysis and to get more information on hearing care, please visit: https://www.audika.com.au/hearing-blog/research/the-sound-of-sleeplessness
